Improvement in bee-hives



KING a. LoueHMAsTER.

PETERS, Phonoumgnpmr, wmingean. u. c,

llNrrnn STATES H. A. KING AND JACOB LOUGHMASIER, OF SEAL, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO H' A' A. KING, N. H. KING, AND A. A. KING, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-envias.y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, H. A. KING and JA- coB LoUGHMAsTER, ot' Seal, in the county of Wyandot and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Bee-Hive; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a vertical section of our invention, taken in the line :c fr, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1 5 Fig. 3, a diminished side View of the body or main portion of the hive, the cap being removed; Fig. 4, a detached plan or top view of one of the comb-frames; Fig. 5, a horizontal section of the hive, taken in the line z z, Fig. l Fig. 6, a side view of the lower part of the hive; Fig. 7, a'section of Fig. 6, taken in the line a9 x.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the body or main portion of the hive, which is of quadrilateral form, and is provided with an inclined bottom, a, the lower or depressed end of which projects beyond the front side of the hive to serve as an alighting-board, ctx. In the lower part of the front side of the hive there are made three openings, b b b, the spaces c between which are of equal width, and which we term pily lars. These openings constitute the bee-entrances, and directly in front of them there is a slide, B, which has two openings or notches, d d, made in it, corresponding in width with the pillars c, but of less height. This slide B rests upon the alighting-board ax, and is retained in contact with the front side of the hive by means of a button, C. In the upper edge of the slide B there are made at one end three notches, d d d, into any of which a pla.t`e,-D attached to one side of the hive by a pivot, may be tted. By this adjustment of the slide B the capacity ofthe bee-entrances b may be varied as desired. The greatest capacity of the entrances b is of course equal to the capacity of the notches d d, in the slide, and these are more or less contracted by shoving them more or less over or in front ot' the pillars c, andv they may be closed entirely by making said notches register with the pillars c. This will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 2, in which the pillars c and openings b are shown in red. One side, f, of the hive A is a slide, which is allowed to move freely up and down, and bears against the backs of vertical rabbets g g, made in the front and back h h of the hive, and the upper edges of the front and back are beveled, as shown at t, to fit in beveled notches j, made in a cross-bar, 7c, at the topy ot' the slide j', as shown in Fig. 3. This cross-bar k, when the slide f is fully' down, is flush with the tops of the front and back of the hive, and said cross-bar, in consequence of being provided with the notches j, and iitting over the beveled surfaces t', firmly holds the back and front ofthe hive in proper position, preventing them from warping or springing apart. The slide j' is held in place by buttons @'X. parts of the front'and back of the hive, at their inner sides, there are made rabbetsl l, to serve as supports for the honey-board E, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. These rabbets eX- tend down sufficiently far within the hive to admit of quite a space being above it--that is to say, between it and the top of the body A, as shown in Figs. l and 2. At the back l1.

of the hive there is door, F, which is hung by hinges m at its upper end, and a glass, n, is inserted in the back hf, said glass being covered by the door when the latter is down. (See Fig. l.)

G represents the comb-frames, which are made with vertical sides n', horizontal top bars, o, and inclined bottom bars, p, the inclination of the latter corresponding to the inclination of the bottom a of the hive. The top and bottom bars, o p, are constructed with projections q, which extend out laterally from the frames, and also extend out from the front. and back of the same, as shown in Fig. 4. These projections keep the comb-frames at a proper distance from the walls of the hive and from each other. Each bottom bar, p, also has two pins or rods, r, driven into it-one near each end--to keep the bottoms of the combframes at a suitable distance above the bottom a of the hive, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

H represents the cap of the hive, which is In the upper provided with a double-pitch roof', and is of sufficient capacity to iit over the top of the body A. Within this cap H there are nailed or otherwise secured horizontal strips s, which serve as bearings to support the cap, said suips resting on the top of the body A. In one side of the hive, at its lower part and iuner surface, there is made a groove, t, which extends above and below the .bottom a, and is covered at its lower part with wire-cloth u. (See Fig. 7.) By this means air is admitted into the hive without admitting light, and in `the same side of the hive there is made a hole,

o, which is covered by a iiap or slide, w, also having a hole, af, made in it, which may be brought in line with the hole 'v to admit air underneath the bottom a, so that said air may pass up into the hive. Another hole, b', is also made in the same side ot the hive, above the bottom a, and a similar hole, c', made in the ilap or slide fw, so that air may be admitted directly into the hive when required.

I is a partition-board fitted in the hive A and in line with either of the pillars c c, the latter admitting of the partition forming a complete cut-ofi' between the two parts ci' the hive, and at the same time allowing beeentrances for both.

The hive thus constructed will be strong and durable the honey-board and. slide f will not be liable to be affected byshrinking or swelling, and may be made ata reasonable cost.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l.A rlhe fitting of the honey-board E on rabhets l l within the hive, in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. The cross-bar kat the upper end of the slide f, provided with beveled notches j j to t over the beveled surfaces 'i at the upper ends of the front and` back ofthe hive, for the purpose specified.

3. Securing the cap H on the hive by having the former oi sufficient dimensions to fit over the top of the body A, and securin g strips s within the cap H', to rest on the top ot' the body A and support the cap, as set forth.

4. The ilap or slide w, attached to the hive and provided with holes a! c', in combination with the holes n b in the side of the hive, and the groove t in the inner surface of the side ot' the hive, as and for the purpose speciiied.

H. A. KING. JACOB LOUGHMASTER.

lVitnesses:

PHILIP Pnnnnw, WM. R. DEGEAN. 

